Andrea Bargnani was hot on Tuesday night, but the Brooklyn Nets were not hot enough, falling to the Miami Heat 102-98 at Barclays Center.
Bargnani, who was questionable with an illness on Monday, had a team-high 20 points (9-of-12), his highest-scoring effort since a 23-point night on Dec. 10. But unlike the Nets’ win in Miami on Dec. 28, a strong effort off the bench was not enough to overcome big nights from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
“Wade and Bosh got us again,” Interim Head Coach Tony Brown said.
The Heat mainstays each had 27 points Tuesday, playing key roles in a comeback win for the Heat, as Brooklyn led 57-51 at halftime. Bosh scored 14 in the second half, while Wade turned it on in the fourth quarter, dropping 11 points in the deciding period.
“We were trying different things to slow down the momentum,” Brown said. “Wade was able to get away in some iso situations and get some looks. Bosh, when the floor stretched there in the second half, [got] the isolations and open shots. It was hard to slow those guys down.”
Early on, the Nets appeared to be riding the momentum from a big win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, shooting 24-of-43 (55.8%) in the first half. The Heat also shot 24-of-43, but three-point shooting was the difference, as the Nets hit five of their nine attempts from deep, while the Heat were 0-of-4 from beyond the arc.
The second quarter was also the start of Bargnani’s night, as the Italian caught fire, hitting his first six shots.
“I stayed aggressive,” Bargnani said. “My teammates found me on the pick-and-pop. They were all good passes and open shots, I just aggressive and took the shots.”
But things started to turn in the third quarter. The Nets started the third on the wrong end of a 20-7 run, surrendering their lead to the Heat. Turnovers were a factor, as Brooklyn went from four turnovers in the first half to 13 in the second. Wade had three steals in the third quarter, including a pair on back-to-back possessions. As a result, the Nets trailed 77-73 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We just turned the ball over a couple of times and it ignited their offense,” said Brook Lopez, who finished the game with 13 points and 10 boards. “It definitely created some momentum for them and they made some very tough plays down the stretch as well.”
Brown said that matchups left Bargnani on the bench for most of the quarter, but the Nets fought back and were in a tight game down the stretch. The Nets wrestled Miami’s lead to one point five times, but couldn’t get over the hump. Trailing 94-93 with 2:32 to go, Wade scored five straight points, ultimately sealing the game, though Donald Sloan’s three-pointer with 54 seconds to play inspired hope.
“Our passion and effort was great, but just another story of not being able to finish a game,” Brown said.
The Nets head to Dallas for a date with the Mavericks on Friday night.
NOTES: Joe Johnson was the Nets’ second-leading scorer Tuesday with 15 points. Bojan Bogdanovic (11 points, 3-of-6 from deep) hit double-digits for a third straight game. Thaddeus Young had 12 points, five rebounds and one steal.
